


Moments in Time; or Five Moments Jim and Bones Stole and The One That Was Free

by dorianpavus



Category: STXI - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-07-27
Updated: 2010-07-27
Packaged: 2017-11-02 08:28:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/366984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dorianpavus/pseuds/dorianpavus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's hard to find a moment to themselves on a space ship full of people.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Moments in Time; or Five Moments Jim and Bones Stole and The One That Was Free

**ONE: BEFORE THE _NARADA_ RAID**

The kiss was hot and heavy, desperate and longing, sweet and oh-too-short all at once. Hands were everywhere, caresses covering a need to establish that they were both alright. Too much had happened, Jim had been through too much, for Bones not to have to check. He smiled against the curve of the Doctor's neck, and trailed a finger down Bones' spine, enjoying the shiver the touch ellicited.

"I'll be fine, Bones."

Bones snorted to himself, and ran his fingers along Jim's jaw, ilting his head so the crack of light creeping in around the door of the storage unit fell across his lover's face and scowled at him, voice rough and tense.

"If you die, I'll kill you."

Another time, perhaps, Jim might have laughed at that, back when their biggest worry had been exams and tests (not that those ever bothered him too much). Now, though, he just bought his hand up to curl around Bones' where it was cupping his cheek and replied sofly, but not with out a sharp edged intensity.

"Thank you, Bones."

They stood there for a moment, eyes locked and not saying the words that hovered in the air between them - _I love you, Don't go, Come back to me._

A noise outside broke the moment, and Jim's hand dropped as he reached backwards, fumbling on the shelves for a phaser and communicator while his eyes stayed locked on Bones' shadowed face.

"I - I better not have to treat you for any STDs when you get back." Not that Bones really thought he would, but it was familiar, what he always said when Jim went off for a night out or a weekend away. And maybe, _maybe_ by saying it he could convince himself that Jim _wasn't_ about to beam over to a ship captained by an insane, tattooed meglomaniac who'd blown up a planet because he didn't like the pointy-eared bastard that Jim was beaming across with. Or something.

And Jim grinned - maybe a hair slower than usual - and gave him the lazy salute that was his usual answer.

**TWO: THE MISSION BEGINS**

Everything changed when Jim became Captain. Not that Bones wasn't happy for him, was even proud of him (not that he was going to admit it, on pain of hypo.). But the upshot was that Jim had ceased to be _his_ Jim, and become Kirk of the _Enterprise_. The past few weeks, back on Earth while they waited for he engineers to finish repairs had proven that.

From the moment he'd watched Jim stand in front of Admiral Pike, and the traditional words had fallen from his lips, and sworn his life to the ship above him as tightly as any marriage vow, he'd known. The next three weeks, while Jim raced from meeting to meeting and cancelled dates to discuss the warp engines and hovered around annoying the engineers and wincing every time they pulled something apart, had shoved it home.

It didn't make sense to him when he found himself fighting bitterly to have his emergency assignment as CMO formalised. Wasn't sure why he was following Jim somewhere where he'd always be second to a hunk of metal, if Jim could see him at all past the hold the ship had on him. But he did, fought tooth and nail and pulled up all the dirt he'd heard floating around the infirmary over the years to throw in people's faces because if he couldn't have Jim any more at least he could make sure he stayed in one piece.

And because if he couldn't be Jim's anymore, atleast he could be Jim's CMO.

He had to admit, as Uhura swung around on her seat to announce that "Dock control reports ready - Captain" and Jim strode onto the bridge looking like a kid with the key to the toy shop AND the lolly factory, that he fit. It was right, was where he was supposed to be. Was WHO he was supposed to be.

And then the idiot was grinning at him, clapping him on the shoulder and telling him to buckle up. And Bones scowled and grumped and no one noticed that Jim's hand lingered for a moment, squeezing Bones shoulder while his thumb rubbed idle circles against his shoulderblade for the briefest of moments before it was gone.

But the message was still there, in the way Bones' skin tingled from the contact - a promise, an apology all rolled into one. A silent _I haven't forgotten you_ that was all he needed.

**THREE: AFTER THE FIRST AWAY MISSION GONE WRONG**

There was blood, alot of it. Jim's shirt had been torn to shreds and whatever it was had done a pretty good job on his flesh as well. The remains of the shirt were bundled up, being pressed against a wound on the Captain's side by a frantic looking Chekov while Sulu and Spock held him upright on the transporter pad. Jim was ashen, a stark whiteness that scared Bones almost as much as the blue tinge to his lips.

Anyone else would have been unconcscious. Anyone else wasn't James T Kirk of the _Enterprise_ , who often made his CMO wonder if he'd been exposed to some form of freaky radiation in that escape shuttle and developed super powers as a result. And even as the irrelevant thoughts drifted across his mind he was darting forward, sliding under Jim's arm and displacing Sulu as he ran a tricorder over Jim with his spare hand and hissed a frantic, despairing "Dammit, Jim." between his teeth.

It took hours to put him back together, hours that felt far too long and yet too short, too lacking in precious seconds in which to seal and fix. Hours during which Bones blessed the stars for a sensible nurse like Chapel and ignored the older, more experienced doctor's who tried to tell the upstart young doctor who'd been promoted over them what to do. In the end he threw them out, and went back to work.

By the time he was done, his uniform was as ruined as Jim's, and his back was killing him from the hunched position he'd been working in. But the vitals recorded above the biobed had stabilised and it had been over an hour since anything wailed at him and demanded attention and Jim no longer looked like he'd been attacked by a sword wielding cheesegrater.

And because he was James T Kirk of the _Enterprise_ and possibly a mutant super hero in the bargain, Jim woke up a lot faster than expected, his fingers reaching out to wrap around Bones' hand where it was resting on the biobed as the Doctor examined a chart.

And because Chapel was still in the room, Bones said nothing other than a weary "Dammit, Jim." that seemed to have lost it's usual bite somewhere between the tight throated concern and exhaustion. But the way his hand turned under Jim's so he could wind his fingers through, the tight, desperatte grip shielded from Chapel by the way he leaned over the bed, pretending to examine a monitor on the other side, said _You scared me, you idiot_ and _Don't leave me alone_.

Jim's voice was weak, wih a bite of pain in it. It took him a moment before he could force something past the pain in his torso and the drugs. But it was _Jim's voice_ and that was enough, and there was a tone of humour in it as he said "I knew you'd fix me." His return grip on Bones' hand was apology and thanks mixed with an edge of fear and relief that he'd never ever have voiced out loud but didn't need to.

**FOUR: AT SCOTTY AND UHURA'S WEDDING**

It wasn't the first wedding Jim had performed as Captain of the _Enterprise_ , but it was the first he'd done for anyone he knew by more than name, the first senior staff wedding, and he'd pulled out all the plugs, talking Starfleet into a two week Shore Leave on Bel-ashna, widely regarded as the most beautiful planet in the Federation and even managing to get Uhura's mother smuggled on board through some channel or other.

Bones had walked her down the aisle, pleased as punch about being asked, and looking so damned good in the formal uniform that Jim almost postponed the whole affair while he dragged Bones off to another room for an hour or two. Fuck, maybe a week. He would have, too, if he didn't think Uhura would castrate him for it. Pity.

But he'd behaved, and aside from a brief moment when it looked like Scotty might bolt (which vanished the moment Nyota appeared in the traditional Terran wedding dress.) it had all gone perfectly to plan, and now he could kick back and enjoy the reception.

He'd danced with Uhura, he'd danced with Scotty, he'd danced with Uhura's mother,  he'd even danced with Keenser and Spock.  Therefore, he reasoned, it wouldn't look weird if he danced with Bones.

He timed it perfectly, he thought. Got past the grumping and the calling him an idiot  and the deathglare that said he was being rash and stupid and was going to hear about it later if he didn't stop _right now_ , and dragged him out onto the dance floor just as a slow set was starting.

Much as he enjoyed the dance, as much as it gave him all the wrong ideas for a place so public, and as much as this definitely needed to be repeated at a time when he could pull that formal uniform off with his teeth, the end of the dance was what Jim had been looking forward to, as he pressed something small and cold into Bones' hand.

Several moments later, as he danced with Chapel, he made sure to catch the Doctor's eye. The sardonically raised eyebrow said _Are you really ready?_ and the look he returned, one corner of his mouth curling upward, said _Always. Whenever. I'll be there._ Bones' faint nod was a sacred promise and the faint gleam of silver on his hand as he uncrossed his arms said _I know. I already knew._

**FIVE: THE SHORE LEAVE PLANET**

There were probably smarter things to be doing under the circumstances then making out with Bones up on the bluff. Like figuring out why the hell everyone's random surface thoughts were inexplicably coming to life. Or why his crewman were so messed up in the head all they could think of was assault planes, vicious tigers and aggressive samurai.

That being said, making out with Bones was a very good way to stop _himself_ from thinking up really stupid things to attack them.

Yes. That was it.

He was just licking his way into Bones' mouth when the noise of skittering stones and the thump-thump-thump of running feet behind him made him pull back, stifling a groan as he tugged his overshirt back into place just as Sulu rounded the corner at a run yelling about Samurai and it was back to pumping adrenaline and running-not-fighting cause the things just _didn't die_ and Bones would hypo him if he tried it.

The path was a slip-slide-stagger of skitteering stones, and a duck and roll past the samurai and then there was the fucking _tiger_ and grabbing onto Bones as they both near fell and his strong grip said _if you get eaten by a tiger, I'll never forgive you, you idiot_ and the tightening of Jim's hands in the blue shirt replied _I'm not leaving you behind_ and the feel he copped said _we'll finish this later_.

**PLUS ONE:**

"I relieve you."

God but the kid's face was young, Kirk thought. Not as young as he'd been (of course), not as wet behind the ears either. The girl had served her time, properly, followed the rules and the letter of the law. She was going to get them all killed, get his beauty all dented and scratched within a month if he was any judge. But he'd been deemed Too Old for active duty and he'd fought it all the way to the last second and he'd start fighting it again as soon as he got out of here but he wasn't mean enough to steal the moment from her so he settled for dignified and said

"I am relieved." with all the dignity the new admiral's stripes on his sleeves could afford him when half those watching knew it for a lie.

Atleast, unlike poor Pike, he could stride out of the auditorium at the end, head high. Bones was already out in the hall, waiting for him and with the same grumpy scowl he'd had on when Jim had been saying the other line.

Unlike last time though, Bones was no longer technically his CMO so it was _perfectly_ (alright maybe not) acceptable to close fists in the fabric of his formal uniform and pull him in to kiss him, ignoring the mixed reactions of throat clearing, catcalls and pleas to get a room from the young cadets swirling through the corridors.

The _"Dammit, Jim!"_ that followed was part _What the hell?_ , part _finally_ and mostly _I love you, you idiot._

_This fic was originally posted[here](http://temporalranger.livejournal.com/14691.html) on 21 May 2010_


End file.
